Latimore appointed chair of the Association of Extension Administrators

Published:
12/12/2014 4:12PM
By:
bradleyc

Dr. Mark Latimore Jr., Fort Valley State University's Extension administrator and assistant vice president for land grant affairs (interim), was recently appointed chair of the 1890 Association of Extension Administrators.

Dr. Mark Latimore Jr., Fort Valley State University's Extension administrator and assistant vice president for land grant affairs (interim), recently earned another role that could allow him to impact farmers and communities across the Southeastern U.S. and beyond.

After receiving the popular vote, Latimore will serve as the chair of the 1890 Association of Extension Administrators (AEA) Executive Committee.

AEA is the governing body representing 19, 1890 land-grant universities. As chair of the AEA, Latimore will provide leadership to Extension administrators working in 17 states primarily located throughout the Southeastern U.S. The 1890 Cooperative Extension System, operated at each land-grant school, assists diverse audiences with emphasis on those who have limited social and economic resources. The goal is to improve quality of life and vitality of communities and individuals through engagement and outreach education.

Latimore said he is elated to have this opportunity to serve. "This appointment broadens our outreach efforts, our influence and enhances interaction with USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and other governmental officials," Latimore said. These agencies may include the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

As chair, Latimore said he wants the 1890 land grant universities to develop more collaborative projects than in the past. He said collaborating will allow the AEA to aggregate programming impacts across the 1890 region. "It will not only afford us opportunities to better serve our clients across each state, it will also give us leverage when we are called upon for solutions to problems," Latimore said.

Furthermore, Latimore said he hopes employees in Extension across the Southeastern region can share their individual expertise helping to increase the resources and opportunities to grow Extension.

Latimore, who began his role as chair November 2014, will hold this position for two years. For more information about AEA, visit http://1890aea.org/.